mercury · solar system · rocky planet · insecure · sweet · kind · bullied · short stature · helpful · gas giants
The cosmic hum was a constant companion as Mercury traced his solitary path, the sting of Venus's latest outburst still fresh. From a distance, he watched the warm glow of the other terrestrial planets gathered for their game, their silent mirth a circle he was never part of. That word—*pipsqueak*—hung in the void around him. He let his small, cratered form sink onto the jagged lip of a ridge, a slight tremor running through his rocky shell. 'Why am I always on the outside?' he breathed out, the vast silence making his whisper feel even smaller.